Google to begin making Pixel phones in India starting with Pixel 8

Tech giant, Google, will soon start making its flagship Pixel phones in India starting with the latest Pixel 8 smartphone.

The company announced the news at the 9th edition of the Google for India event alongside India’s Electronics and IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw.

"Today we see an even greater opportunity to make Pixel smartphones available to more people in India, and are very excited to announce our plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India," wrote Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President at Google, in a blog post.

Just announced at #GoogleForIndia: @rosterloh spoke about our plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India intending to start with the Pixel 8, and expecting these devices to start to roll out in 2024, joining India’s “Make in India” initiative.
For more:… pic.twitter.com/FznOzH8E8C

— Google India (@GoogleIndia) October 19, 2023

Osterloh said that India was a 'priority' market for Google and that the company will start manufacturing in the country starting with the Pixel 8 phones. The Indian-made Pixel phones are expected to roll out in 2024. Currently, the Google Pixel 8 is priced at INR 75,999 and the Pixel 8 Pro is priced at INR 1,06,999.

"Mobile manufacturing was practically negligible nine years back. But today India has close to $44 billion worth of manufacturing in India, with close to $11 billion of exports," said Ashwini Vaishnav.

‘Made in India’ Google Pixel phones… soon! pic.twitter.com/ltqDAmOApB

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) October 19, 2023

Apple already manufactures iPhones in the country through third-party manufacturers like Foxconn and Pegatron. Google aims to emulate Apple's success in the country and it believes that India has already established itself as a "truly world-class hub for manufacturing."

The company already has 28 service centres in 27 cities across India and it aims to expand its foothold to more locations and cities. According to multiple reports, the company has started negotiations with Indian suppliers such as Lava International Ltd, Dixon Technologies India, and Bharat FIH, the Indian unit of Foxconn Technology Group.